Graphene is composed of a single thin layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a repeating pattern of hexagons. Graphene has many extraordinary properties, which includes high mechanical strength, high electron mobility, and superior thermal conductivity. Because graphene is a great thermal and electrical conductor, graphene may be coupled to metal contacts or leads in biosensors and various diagnostic devices to provide accurate analytical measurements of chemical and biological samples.
However, preparing and incorporating graphene into biosensors or other diagnostic devices may be a difficult task, especially on a large manufacturing scale. This is because graphene may often be contaminated or damaged when creating wells on the graphene.
To prevent the contamination and shorting of the graphene sheets when handling and preparing them, current methods often directly treat the surface of the graphene sheet and its metal contacts with a photoresist layer or with a polymethylmethacrylate (hereinafter “PMMC”) layer used as a resist film. However, this results in many undesirable secondary effects. For example, when applying the photoresist or PMMC layer directly onto the graphene, such direct contact contaminates the surface of the graphene sheets, and may even degrade the performance of the graphene when incorporated into biosensors or electronic devices. As such, there currently is a need to protect the graphene layer without contaminating or damaging the graphene layer when preparing and creating graphene wells.
The figures are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It should be understood that the invention can be practiced with modification and alteration, and that the disclosed technology be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.